The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 42

~ Damon -

Damon paced around the hospital hall like a lost kid. He didn't want to leave the door even for a seco go anywhere until he heard any news about Violet.

Minutes and hours passed and the doctor hadn't returned. Damon was losing his mind, thinking abou himself. He started with filling out paperwork for Violet and keeping his eyes on the television set in t Benigni probably succeeded in keeping it under wraps so the police wouldn't snoop around. "Mr. Van Zandt,"

Damon quickly stood up when he heard his name being called, letting the remote fall to the ground. H "Good news," she said. "We were able to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding. Your wife is in critic "Oh, thank God," Damon let out the biggest sigh of relief and hugged the nurse in gratitude. The old w "And your baby is also stable," the nurse continued. "He's quite the fighter,"

"Baby?" Damon pulled back instantly. Did he hear that right?

"Yes," the nurse checked the clipboard before looking back at him. "Your wife is pregnant. About 14 we 14 weeks...?

That was more than three months ago. They were still together then. Does that mean...? "Oh, well, when can I see her?" Damon asked pleadingly.

"She needs to rest. She's lost a lot of blood and she's going through a transfusion right now. I suggest The nurse smiled one last time before walking away, leaving Damon completely speechless. First of all it mean that Violet is 14 weeks pregnant? Is that his baby?

Damon was lost in thoughts. He sat back down as his mind continued racing. She was still with him 14 even try?

me nurses came up to him and told him to get checked up because they saw the bruises and wounds on his face and arm, but he refused. He wasn't going to

e worst case scenarios. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Violet lying in a pool of blood. In order not to go crazy, Damon had to distract ing room. He flipped through all the news channels and there wasn't anything reported about Hugo's estate. That could mean good news. Gianni and

a nurse holding a clipboard coming toward him.

stable condition,"

didn't know what to do, so she just patted Damon's back. He was crying with happiness at this point.

ong, according to our ultrasound,"

e her some time,"

s overjoyed that Violet was saved. After everything that happened, this was the only good thing that happened to him in months. But then again, what does

ago, he knew that for sure. She didn't leave with Dylan until about 2 months ago. But then again... why did Violet never tell him about the baby? Did she Damon racked his brain for an answer. She never mentioned it when she was leaving. Not even a word. And he didn't even see any changes in her behavior. If she was lying to him, he would've known. Wait... the phone call!

That was it. Damon remembered Violet trying to contact him and Celina answered the phone. Maybe that was her reaching out about the baby. Of course. Why else would she call him out of the blue? That must be it. Which means... That's... my baby!

Damon stayed in that waiting room all night. He didn't get a wink of sleep. He just sat there, staring at the ceiling. One would think that he was deep in thoughts, but honestly, he was out of thoughts. He had been thinking so much to the point where his brain crashed. He wasn't thinking of anything at all now. He was just staring into nothingness. Before he knew it, sunlight began streaming through the window. He didn't even realize that the night had turned into the day. He was so out of it, he didn't even notice the nurse coming up to talk to him.

"... Mr. Van Zandt? Mr. Van Zandt?" the nurse waved her hand in front of his face until he snapped out of it.

"Oh? Yes?"

"Sir, you can see your wife now," the nurse smiled.

Damon paused for a beat before standing up to his feet. His brain was so clogged up, it took him a moment to understand anything. The nurse then turned to her heels and gestured for him to follow her. He followed closely behind as she trailed down the hallway. She finally stopped in front of a room and pushed the door open slowly. Inside the room, Damon saw Violet lying on the bed with her hand hooked up to an IV. Her eyes were closed and it looked like she was sleeping peacefully.

"She's still resting, but you can stay with her," the nurse gestured to the chair next to the bed. "Beats staying outside, right?"

"Thank you, nurse," Damon nodded appreciatively at her.

Damon stepped forward, standing right next to the bed. He got a better look at Violet's face and his heart never felt more full. The nurse slipped away quietly and closed the door behind her. Meanwhile, Damon only kept his eyes on Violet. His hand reached up to touch her face. He touched her slowly and gently, afraid to wake her up. His finger glided along her skin in a soothing manner as tears began rolling down his face.

Sweet girl... It's me... I'm here...

Violet remained motionless on the bed. Damon couldn't hold himself anymore. He broke down crying, his face fell down to her side. This never happened to him before. Not even when Isabella died. It was like a tsunami of emotions washed over him. Everything from gratefulness to regret, happiness to heartbreak, love, pain, and everything in between.

I'm so glad that you're okay...

Damon sat next to her and held her body in his arms. Feeling her body against his made him feel all these feelings. Nothing felt more right than to have her in his embrace. It was like he could finally breathe again. It was like the world finally made sense. I'm never letting you go again. Ever.

After a while, Damon finally stopped crying and the tears had dried, but he never stopped holding her. Though his body felt weak and his eyes were heavy, he held her for as long as he could. And when he couldn't hold her anymore, he passed out, asleep, still holding her in his arms.

KNOCK KNOCK *

When Damon came to his consciousness again, he was awoken by the knocking on the door. He looked up to see the light had gone from the window. The day had turned back to night and Damon was still on the same spot.

Slowly, he peeled away from Violet, very carefully not to wake her up. Then he rolled off the bed and went to the door. The door opened to reveal Liam, Beau, and his other men. They looked disheveled and a mess, their clothes torn and bloodied. "Damon," Beau greeted him.

"Hey, boss," Liam added. "We saw the car parked out front,"

"...Guys..." Damon was speechless. He didn't even know where to begin.

"How's Violet?" Liam asked, looking over Damon's shoulder to see her.

"Critical but stable," Damon answered, stepping back to let his men inside. Once they all piled in, he closed the door and walked back to the bed. His men all circled around the bed, looking at Violet and sighing.

"Shit, what happened back there?" Damon asked the guys, he was finally able to wrap his brain around reality.

Beau and Liam exchanged a look before looking back at Damon.

"Hugo and all his men are dead," Beau answered first.

"Gianni and Benigni are returning to their homes, they say we owe them one," Liam continued.

Damon nodded his head approvingly, a smile curved up his lips. That was good news. Hugo and all his men were dead. That was the best thing that could come out of this.

"And Adrian?" he asked expectantly. Maybe it was stupid, but he was still holding out hope that Adrian somehow made it.

Liam and Beau averted their gazes. They couldn't look Damon in the eye. None of the other men could look him in the eyes either.

"Liam," Damon pressed, waiting for an answer. The smile on his face faltered.

"Adrian didn't make it," Liam answered bitterly, his eyes still on the ground.

"No," Damon shook his head. That couldn't be possible. Adrian had to make it!

"We're really sorry," Beau spoke with his head bowed far down. His voice was cracking as he spoke.

Damon looked at all his men for confirmation. For a moment, he thought they might be joking. Maybe Adrian was playing a sick joke. He was going to pop into the room at any moment.

Unfortunately, the look on his men's eyes said it all. They were all terribly sorry and heartbroken. They just lost their brother.

"I... can't believe this..." he croaked.

Damon staggered back, almost losing his balance. He held onto the foot of the bed, glancing up at Violet. If it wasn't for Violet being in the room, Damon would have exploded like fire and brimstone. "Damon, I'm so sorry," Liam said as he stepped forward. "I should've protected him. I should've been the one-"

"It's not your fault," Damon cut him off, shaking his head. "If anyone's at fault here, it's me,"

Damon knew full well this was all his doing. Adrian was against this idea from day one. He kept trying to get Damon to stop, but he never listened.

"I didn't listen to him. I just did whatever I wanted..."

In all his life, Damon never shed a tear in front of his men. It was a sign of weakness. Even at the lowest moments of his life, he'd never let it show. This time, however, the dam had burst. Tears rolled down his face and his men stared at him, dumbstruck and speechless.

Before long, his men started crying one by one. Liam and Beau were the last ones to shed tears. Liam being the most difficult, he kept fighting the tears back.

"Damon, it's not your fault too," Beau was the first one to break the silence. "Adrian would've done anything for you,"

"Yeah, he was the one who tracked down Violet and got her to come for you," Liam added. "The bastard knew what he was getting into and he still did it anyway,"

Liam threw his gaze across the room, he didn't want eye contact with anyone. He settled on looking at Violet as she continued sleeping peacefully. Meanwhile, silence fell over the room as everyone had their heads down.

"...I'm really glad she's okay," Liam spoke finally, breaking the silence. "She's a brave girl, you know? Coming into the lion's den to save you. Damn, she even held a gun!"

Damon stifled a smile. It was hard to smile at this moment, but looking at her always made him smile. Despite the darkness they were in, seeing her was like seeing a ray of hope.

"Yeah, she's strong..." Damon nodded. "And she's also pregnant. 14 weeks,"

All his men quickly exchanged looks.

"Is it... yours?" Beau asked.

"What do you think?" Damon asked back, challengingly.

The men looked at each other again, and this time, subtle smiles appeared on their faces. Liam stifled a laugh and stepped closer to Damon, putting a hand on his shoulder. Damon turned to Violet again, and though his heart was still in pieces, he could still crack a smile.

-- ONE DAY LATER

Time seemed to pass by so slowly. Violet still hadn't woken up and Damon stayed by her side. The other men didn't want to leave either. Six tall men in dark suits all huddled in the waiting room, they certainly didn't blend in, but no one dared to ask questions. "Hey, sweet girl," Damon said softly as he stared at her face. "It's me again,"

He said it as if he went somewhere and came back, but he never did. He only left to use the bathroom and that wasn't even a minute long.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but... I really miss you. I'm really sorry for everything. You don't deserve any of this. You and the baby... You two deserve so much more,"

Damon smiled bitterly as his hand went to caress her face. The nurse and the doctor were monitoring her condition and they said she should be waking up soon. They also told Damon to keep talking to her. Perhaps that would get her to wake up sooner if she could hear a familiar voice.

"I know I made a lot of promises and I don't always deliver, but I'm gonna make you one last promise, okay? And I'm gonna keep this one until the day I die,"

Damon's hand then traveled down her chest and stopped on her stomach. He caressed the small bump and his heart swelled in size.

"I will love you and our child, always and forever. Keeping you two safe and happy will always be my priority. Over anything in the world. I promise you that," Damon swallowed hard and turned his eyes back to her face. Violet wasn't responding, but he really hoped she heard it.

"Damon!"

Suddenly, a loud voice came from the door and Damon whipped his head around. Talia was standing at the doorway, followed by Liam and Beau. They were trying to pull her back, but she persisted. "Damon, sorry, we tried to stop her--"

"Tell me it's not true!" Talia demanded. Tears were brimming in her eyes.

Damon took his hand off Violet and walked to the door. His heart was breaking, and he couldn't say a word.

"Tell me!" Talia demanded again.

Damon was standing at an arm's length away. He didn't say a word, but he didn't have to. Talia could read it all over his face.

"No...!" she croaked.

"I'm so sorry," Damon said as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm really sorry..."